Drawing on recent literacy research that foregrounds affect and space, we trace the creation of an early literacy learning space as it emerges through a group conversation between a preschool class teacher and five multilingual children at age 5-6. Our analysis is driven by a fascination of the bodily intensity and emotional energies that arose…

The socio-dynamics of the 21st century classroom reveals the importance of gender sensitivity as a living mechanism which constructs both intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. This study explores how reading and discussing comparative children's literature could impact pre-service English teachers' understanding of gender issues at a…

Cultural awareness is essential in foreign language education. This paper explores two projects that exemplify the integration of cultural elements into foreign language learning involving both first language (L1) and second language (L2) cultures. The first project was initiated in the course "German Cinema". It focuses on the legendary…

This article presents the findings of a university reading and writing workshop on fairy-tale reimaginations. Fairy-tale reimaginations, understood as rewriting fairy tales using alternative narrative techniques, can be introduced into a literacy classroom where learners read reimagined fairy tales that stimulate their critical response and…

By illustrating how eight Korean English language learners came to understand embedded assumptions from traditional fairy tales and retell the tales through a critical literacy framed English literacy workshop, this qualitative study argues that fairy tales as English reading texts can effectively cultivate English learners' critical stance and…

Depending upon Paulo Freire's notion of critical consciousness (CC), this study investigates how the comparative analysis of traditional and non-traditional European fairy tales could impact the development of critical consciousness in pre-service English teachers and how they can use this skill for social change in their professional lives. Data…

This article argues that postfeminist influences on the multiple and interconnected narratives of fairy tales, both real and imagined, provide fertile ground from which to consider ideologies related to race, class, gender, and sexuality. It reports on a research the purpose of which was to engage students in a critical exploration of ideologies…

Framed by transactional and critical literacy theories, this teacher-research introduces practical examples of implementing antisexist pedagogy in an EFL Middle Eastern classroom. After a short preview of the gender-biased educational messages abundant in literature and pop culture, the article focuses on students' transaction with "Cinder…

This study compares the English reading comprehension and ethical awareness of 7th grade students, when using either a directed reading-thinking activity (DR-TA), or a more traditional approach, involving tales of virtue based on His Majesty the King's teaching concepts. A randomized control group pretest-posttest design was used for the study,…

Purpose: This paper, which originates in an English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classroom activity in Hong Kong, aims to explore English learners' expressive and creative potential in writing by studying their work in the literary narrative genre. Design/methodology/approach: A group of upper secondary students (15-16 years of age) with limited…

This qualitative study addresses the question "Does the use of storytelling motivate English language learners to engage in literacy practices more, or in a better way, and if so, how?". Storytelling of cultural tales related to fifth grade students' home cultures was introduced to provide a prompt for resultant student discussion and…

Fairy tales are not new to foreign language instructors, but on occasion they have been considered wither exoteric or unworthy of class time. Yet today there is a resurgence of interest in fairy tales and a rebirth of their use in the arts, which may serve foreign language instructors. This article presents historical background to inform…

Three German modern "fairy tales" are presented in a radio play format with exercises based on the tales. Detailed suggestions for the exercises and other class activities based on the manual are included. While serving as a comprehension exercise of the preceding text, the exercises and other activities recommended to accompany them depart from…

Describes one Israeli English-as-a-Foreign-Language teacher's experience having her seventh grade students write a collection of fairy tales, which she subsequently published. The teacher provided a worksheet that helped students learn to sequence and use descriptive language. The Worksheet is appended. (Author/VWL)

This book grew out of research conducted during a sabbatical as Associate Professor of Education at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. The study focused on collecting folktales from recently emigrated school children in order to build a curriculum to support the growth of English literacy in these students and their native English-speaking…